Rewritten
by nightwyver
Summary: Anything can be rewritten be it time, books or even lives.
1. Chapter 1

Death Note:

Rewritten

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Author's note: So I thought I'd try my hand at this series. It's been bouncing around in my head for a while now and I finally decided to start putting it down. I would dearly love to hear what you think of it.

It started with a book.

But it always seems to start with a book. A book can survive the person writing it, passed down through the generations. It can be copied and the ideas within can spread like a virus infecting all who touch it. They can embrace it as truth until it becomes gospel to them. There is another famous book that changed the world that comes to mind.

But the thing to always remember about books is that they can be rewritten. Words can be changed. Paragraphs reordered to mean something completely different. Whole chapters cut out completely or added in. As people's gospels change they can in turn change the books that created them in the first place. If mortals knew what their precious book originally said…well the world would be a far different place than the one there was now.

It stared out at the desolate land holding a book, new pages blank without anything further to write in it. It honestly didn't think it would…could come to this. It didn't think about it at all after It fell. Life and Death would simply continue on as it always has. Or at least it was supposed to. Now there was nothing and somehow It knew it was all Its fault and It needed to fix it somehow.

It stared down at the book in Its hands. It wasn't Its book, this one belonged to another long since gone. It didn't remember that one's name but it wasn't important. The book was what was important. It knew It was once human as they all were once human, and It knew (although It didn't remember) that It once came in contact with this particular book. It opened the book and flipped the pages back until It found the one It was looking for.

With a swift flick It cut Its finger and spilled Its blood into the book. Everything It was and everything It is and all possibilities of Its future were now imbued in that book at that time. When It comes into contact with it as It once was, It will now remember not just that past but this one as well. It was once smart, It will know how to change it.

After all, books can be rewritten.


	2. Chapter 2

Rewritten

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, Death Note would have ended far differently

A/N: the first part of this story is very heavily influenced by the manga. A lot of the dialog is taken almost directly from there as well as some of L's inner monologues. As I go farther along and things start to deviate that will naturally change but for this first one or two chapters I want to stay as close to the source material as I can.

A/N 2: It's still a little early for me to decide so I can go either way but I would still love your opinion…should I make this a slash/yaoi fic or keep it 'mostly' platonic? I personally am a slashfan and it would make a good secondary motivation but it's not necessary for the overall plot of the story. Thought?

,..,

L stared ahead in shocked disbelief at the monstrous form that had suddenly appeared before him. He knew logically to expect to see something, but his mind wasn't truly prepared for this.

"A Shinigami? It…r-really Exists." Whispered stunned.

All of a sudden a tsunami of information flooded L's mind as clues that have built up over time that never made any sense before rapidly became crystal clear.

Death Note…Shinigami…show each other…Light…Misa…notebook…first sight…love…second Kira…Note…

So lost in his own thoughts L didn't feel the book being pulled from his grip.

This is how Kira kills…notebook…second Kira…there are more notebooks…not over yet…

L was jarred out of his speeding thoughts by a horrible piercing scream coming from right next to him. Light was clutching the Death Note and staring out blankly as he continued to shriek out as if he were being tortured by whatever he saw. Although the actual scream only lasted a few seconds it felt like it went on forever. While the unexpected sight of the Shinigami was alarming, L didn't think it was enough to cause this sort of reaction. It went against everything L came to understand about the usually calm and scheming boy.

"A-are you alright? If anyone saw that monster, they would be surprised." L asked hesitantly as more and more facts pushed their way forward.

Once Light stop his horrible screaming he calmed down so quickly that if L were anyone else he might have suffered whiplash. Light calmly flipped open the book and pulled the laptop towards him and begun comparing names.

"I'm alright." Light answered him almost coldly "The first thing we need to do is match the names written here with the known Kira victims."

"Ah…yes that's…right." L stuttered. He truly couldn't distinguish what was wrong. What was different. But L knew that something had definitely changed within Light Yagami the second he touched that notebook. The shift painfully reminded him of the Light he met at the beginning. "Even with such a monster before us, you still manage to stay collected and thought to check the names on the victims list. Light you truly are amazing."

"You think?" Light asked without looking up from the book "It was shocking at first, but now everything is starting to make sense."

L was distracted a moment directing everything outside of the helicopter. The few moments he took his eyes off of Light felt like he was turning his back to a viper. Chills ran up his spine and in those few seconds the expression 'someone walking on your grave' became very clear to him.

"Hey Ryuuzaki, if we analyze this notebook scientifically do you think we might find out something about it?" Light's words sounded friendly and curious, but his tone was stiff as though he was simply reading a boring passage from a script. Light was never this bad an actor.

"Unlikely Yagami-kun, that book is far beyond science." L responded fatally.

"I guess you're right."

Chaos suddenly erupted outside as Higuchi started convulsing dramatically before collapsing dead on the pavement. People were all around scrambling in confusion as orders were shouted out everywhere. Even Light was crying out nonsense into the fray. L simply sat there and stared out at it all. As his gaze swept across the spectacle he caught sight of the Shinigami staring right at them…no it was staring right at Light.

,..,

Hours later they were still no closer to understanding just what happened that night. The investigation team were still debating on whether or not Higuchi died of suicide or if it was Kira. The Shinigami, whose name was Rem apparently, was no help either. All it would say was 'I don't know why he died'.

All L could think about was the second Kira's messages to the first. That they could confirm their identities with their Shinigami. The diary page that mentioned exchanging notes. Light, the only person Raye Penber was investigating that went to Aoyama. Misa claiming to fall in love at first sight the same day.

Was Misa being manipulated?

Can the notebook work like that?

Is everything just a coincidence?

L's troubled musings were interrupted by a phone call from the labs. Light got his way and the Note was forensically tested. L stared blankly at the computer screen next to Light. A pile of single creamer cups were scattered on the table before him. With every breath he could feel the jaws of the trap closing in just a little bit more. No matter how hard he pushed his brain he couldn't see a way out.

"Ryuuzaki, Raito-kun, the lab said that the pages and how-to-use instructions aren't anything that exists on earth." Matsuda exclaimed.

"As Rem said!" Soichiro shouted excitedly "The notebook is from the Shinigami's world so there's no doubt the instructions were written by one of them for humans to use!"

The chief and Matsuda were quick to use any excuse to prove Light and Misa-Misa innocent. L glanced over to Light and caught the edge of a small smirk forming on his lips. It was barely there but L felt the noose tightening on him. L started stacking the cups onto each other creating a single tower.

Matsuda reread through all the rules quickly getting to the one that would free the two Kira suspects. 'If the person using the Note fails to write the names of people to be killed within 13 days of each other then the user will die.'

It was as simple as that.

Light and Misa had been under constant surveillance for almost two months and neither wrote a single thing down in that entire time. That one rule was all that was needed to set them free. The tower collapsed.

He'd lost.

"Rem-san" L called out "Are there other Death Notes in the human world?"

"There may or may not be. The only one I keep track of is the one here."

"If there were other notebooks, would the rules be the same?" he was grasping at straws but it was all L had left to use.

Rem looked over to the monitors that were recording Misa, "They're the same. There are many notebooks in the reaper's realm but for humans, the rules are all the same. There's no mistaking that."

"Ryuuzaki, Raito-kun and Amane-chan are clear of blame. The surveillance of those to is over, there's no denying that." Aizawa said forcefully with the agreement of the others.

They all gathered around him and stared, forcing his hand as surely as Kira controlling the acts of criminals before he killed them.

"…I understand." L finally yielded under the impossible pressure "Sorry for everything up until now."

Soichiro came up and clasped his hand on his son's shoulder, "I'm glad." He said almost tearfully.

Light froze briefly under his hand. The flinch was almost impossible to see but L managed to catch it all the same.

"Yeah," Light said calmly "but this case is far from over. I can't help but think that Higuchi wasn't the original Kira and if Kira and second Kira were working simultaneously as Ryuuzaki said then that means that there's still at least one more Death Note out there. This case can't end until we've tracked down and gathered all the notebooks out there in the human world. Ryuuzaki, I'm going to take off the handcuffs but I would like to see this investigation through to the end. Are you okay with that?"

"…yes…" L answered reluctantly.

"This means we need to let Misa-san go. She's innocent so we're going to stop observing her, and since she's not a part of the investigating team she can't hang around here. She shouldn't have to be involved any further, it's time for her to get back to her life." Soichiro commanded.

"Then I'll just have to meet with Misa outside of here." Light said with a light shrug.

"Huh"? You want to meet her?" L questioned surprised. The entire time they were in captivity Light wanted as little to do with her as possible.

"Ryuuzaki she risked her life for me, she's told me she loves me almost every time we meet." Light scolded.

"…True."

"Is it so surprising that someone who is loved that much and so persistently to have their heart moved?"

"Are you saying you fell in love with her?" L asked even more shocked.

For the first time since Light touched the Death Note in the helicopter he turned at looked at L fully.

"Perhaps I did. Perhaps having that unwavering focus solely on me for so long swayed me irrevocably."

L couldn't handle Light's gaze anymore. He turned away and started stacking the pile of creamer cups in various pyramid forms as facts from the Higuchi case once more tore through his mind in a desperate bid to find a way out.

'Kira doesn't have the eyes.'

Killing without a name.

'Time for the deal.'

"Rem-san, the video from the second Kira mentioned that Kira didn't have the eyes. Those 'eyes' are eyes that can see a person's name by looking at them right?" L asked.

Rem was starting to get alarmed. Light also tensed up next to him.

"Ryuuzaki it shouldn't be wrong. It's easy to see that there's a deal with a Shinigami that gives a person the eyes to see a person's name by looking at them when you consider the second Kira's video, the incident with officer Shirobai, and Higuchi at the TV station!" Light almost sounded distressed, but as Light kept talking Rem calmed down.

"You two are pretty smart. I'm not supposed to tell anyone who doesn't use the book, but since you've come this far on your own I can confirm you are correct."

"And the 'deal' is?" L asked.

"I will only confirm if you are correct. I won't tell you anything."

It was a dead end.

Misa saw his face and if she had the eyes which L knew the second Kira did, then if Misa was the second Kira she knew his name. But if the 13-day rule was real than she couldn't be second Kira. Was everything done by the Shinigami?...No there was something else.

Something he was still missing.

Missing…

"What about a person who used to use the notebook losing their memories?" L asked Rem.

"I wonder, that never happens to a Shinigami and I've never used it as a human so I wouldn't know."

More dead ends. L knocked his creamer pyramid down despondently. The pattern they made reflected the chaos he felt inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Rewritten

Chapter 3

A/N: the muses wouldn't let me sleep! So here's the next chapter. This one from Light's perspective.

Light held Misa closely to him as the rest of the team left them alone in the illusion of privacy. He knew that L was still watching them through the security cameras, but that was fine. He already knew that L wouldn't discover anything.

The plan worked perfectly. His memories were completely restored and so far everything was following its set course. Light was actually a little surprised it worked as smoothly as it did. Such a feat was never attempted as far as he knew and he had rated his chance of success far too low. But here he was, proof that it did and the evidence was right in front of his eyes.

Now wasn't the time to be cocky though. Just because the first step was successful doesn't in any way mean he'd won. There was still so much he needed done and unfortunately he would have to rely on Misa to carry out much of it.

"Misa" Light whispered softly into her hair "I want you to dig up something when no one's watching you at a place I'm about to tell you about."

"Light! Your memory is back." Misa cried out lovingly, louder than what Light would have liked but not dangerously loud "Don't worry, I'll do it right. You can count on Misa!"

Light quickly instructed her on the location of the buried Death Note. He made her repeat it over and over until she could recite it perfectly. Now was the tricky part.

"Misa, when you open the box, you're going to find a letter addressed to you. I need you to ignore it as it is now obsolete."

"huh? Why?"

"I have a new letter here for you. I'm going to slip it into one of your bags. I need you to read it and do what it says after and only after you go to the park. Do you understand Misa?" Light asked.

"Yes Light I'll do as you say." Misa promised.

Light released her and walked over to her remaining bags. He bent down to pick them up and in the process slipped the new letter into the side pocket out of sight of the cameras and prying eyes. He walked back to her and handed them to her.

"You'll have to forgive me for not walking you out." Light said knowing that his face was in full view of the cameras "If I did the temptation to leave with you would be too strong and I still have work to do here."

"I understand Good bye Light, I love you!" Misa fortunately left right after that so Light didn't have to respond.

Misa had her tasks and hopefully she would be able to carry them out correctly. Everything depended on her.

,..,

"…so next we need to compile a list of accidental deaths in the region and compare them to the book. We also still have to go over unexpected illnesses as well." Light directed the team.

Light had been the driving force on locating all of Higuchi's victims as Kira and trying to locate any other Death Notes that were in play. This was by far his greatest challenge at the moment. Any Death Note that wasn't under his eye could spell disaster for him. He needed to pin them all down.

It's been several days already. Hopefully Misa was having better luck on her end than he was. She's stopped by a few times with updates and it seems like she was closing in on her target. The one sticky part was that she once again made the eye deal with Ryuk. Rem had almost ruined everything in its panic at the sight of Misa's shortened lifespan. Light wondered if she read the first letter after all, but when he questioned her she denied it.

Light glanced behind him for a second. L was in the same position he'd been in since Light obtained his freedom, crouched on the sofa questioning Rem. Ever since the handcuffs came off it was if L had given up. No, not entirely…but he did everything with an air of defeat and desperation. He knew he lost and was trying to find some way out when there was none.

'Just a little long L' Light thought 'soon I'll end your misery.'

"Light" Matsuda called out pointing to a screen "Misa-Misa is here."

"Thank you Matsuda-san. Everyone, please excuse me."

Light rushed down to greet her. As he entered the lobby Misa rushed over and gripped his hands tightly in her joy. In that moment he felt her pass something into his grip.

"Oh Light!" Misa cried enthusiastically.

Light hugged her close to him.

"Is this it?" he whispered to her.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure? I'm sorry for asking but I have to be sure." Light pressed.

"I'm positive Light! I tested it myself and everything." Misa promised.

He won!

"I don't know what you're planning with that Light," Ryuk commented "but you know the rules as well as I do, better even…and you know the consequences of breaking those rules."

"Don't worry Ryuk, I've planned for everything."

"And we'll create an ideal world won't we Light?" Misa said into his chest.

Misa Amane…he both despised her and pitied her. She didn't ask to be Kira; she didn't pick up a Death Note at random like he did. It was given to her by Rem. Yet with it she killed so many innocent people. She was far more ruthless and uncaring than he ever was. Her world was so small, all she cared about was…him. If he wanted to kill off the entire human population, she would be perfectly fine with it.

It was what made her so dangerous.

"Misa, the only ideal world that matters…is your happiness." Light told her. It was what she wanted to hear and soon enough he would nullify her.

He now had what he needed to change everything. L would never expect what was coming next!

Light sent Misa off to continue to act as Kira. It was time to put Rem into play. He needed it to act or the threat of Rem would hang over him like a blade.

As Light once again entered the control room L was still questioning Rem. They were now discussing the digestive system of the Shinigami.

"Back so soon?" L asked suddenly. "You are free to go yet you stay. Misa-Misa comes to see you constantly yet you only spend a few minutes with her at a time."

"The Kira case isn't closed yet and until it is I can't freely give my love. Once it's over…then things will be different, but for right now I need to keep my focus on what's happening here."

Light turned and moved closer to L. He was trembling slightly and had a worried look in his eyes.

"Or are you saying that you don't want me here anymore L?" Light pressed.

The trembling escalated and L refused to meet his eyes.

"…No."

'Soon L, just wait a little longer.'

,..,

The next day Light arrived to the control room in chaos. The entire taskforce was standing around one of the monitors.

"Sixteen new criminals are now dead of heart attacks."

"It's all after Higuchi…"

"What does this mean?"

Light sat down in his usual spot next to L and slammed his fists on the table.

"Dammit Kira!" Light shouted startling L out of his thoughts.

"So Higuchi wasn't Kira after all." His father speculated.

"No, Higuchi was killing off criminals up until we caught him…that's already been confirmed."

"So this is someone new." Aizawa said "A new Kira."

"So this does confirm another Death Note exists." Light said out loud. "Isn't that right…Rem."

"Probably, since Shinigami don't go around targeting specific groups." Rem said reluctantly.

Light had it cornered. Rem was already putting the pieces together and would soon come to the conclusion he'd laid out for it to follow.

"From not long after Amane became free." L commented suddenly playing and stacking his condiments again.

"Ryuuzaki you can't still be thinking it's got anything to do with Misa do you?"

'Come on Rem, take the bait.'

"Even if Misa really was the second Kira she wouldn't be so stupid as to start killing so soon after she'd been freed."

"Perhaps that's true." L admitted, his trembling was back.

"The 13-day rule already cleared Amane, Ryuuzaki."

"As Raito-kun said, you need to forget about her."

"You're being stubborn in your reasoning."

L looked more hunted with every scold from the taskforce. They were all against him. Light watched as L fell apart right in front of him as impassively as he could, but it was harder than he thought it would be.

"…Yes…I'm sorry…" L sounded so lost. "If…if there is another notebook, and someone is using it…then I will most definitely capture that person."

Light could see the moment it clicked in Rem's mind. The taskforce members were discussing what to do if they catch Kira as they couldn't enter the Death Note in as evidence.

Obliteration…

If they catch a Kira suspect with a notebook they would force the suspect to write their own name in it. Misa was the current Kira. L would catch her again and force her to write her own name. Light knew Rem had figured it out. The only way to save Misa was to kill L, and by killing L it extends Misa's life and in turn kills Rem.

If Rem kills Light, Rem might not die but then L would still catch and kill Misa and Misa would be without an ally. Even worse, she would turn away from Rem. Misa believes she needs Light to live. If L dies than the power in the investigation will go to Light and even without Rem, he would still be able to protect Misa.

Yes, he had Rem pinned down completely. The only way to save Rem's beloved Misa would be to kill L and suicide.

As soon as Rem acts he would be able to start the second great part of his plan.


	4. Chapter 4

Rewritten

Chapter 4

L's thoughts were a swirling storm that kept going over the same facts. If the user didn't kill after 13 days, then the user would be killed. Can the user use only a scrap from the notebook to kill? The Shinigami would answer any trivial question L threw at her, but whenever he asked one that was remotely important the only answer he received was 'I don't know'.

"If you all would excuse me for a moment." L said as he stood and left the room.

Where are you going Ryuuzaki?" Light called out after him.

"Just going to get some air."

The corridor was dark and empty as L ambled down it. His thoughts still a horrid chaotic mess that he couldn't organize no matter how hard he tried. He was close…so close but he just couldn't see it.

L exited out onto a balcony. The storm outside fit the one in his mind perfectly. Within seconds he was soaked to the bone. It was only fitting. If he was lucky, he would get one last chance…but he doubted his luck would hold out.

He'd gambled with his own life…and he lost.

Off in the distance he could here church bells ringing.

A sudden movement caught his eye. L turned and there was Light standing there in the only sheltered spot on the balcony. The unfairness ate at him like acid. Light started talking to him and while he could mostly hear him, a wave of vindictive pettiness had him pretend he couldn't. If he accomplished nothing else this day, he would ruin Light's perfect image.

It didn't take nearly as long as he thought it would to force Light into the rain. Even drenched, Light was as collected as ever as he approached him. Perhaps he's come to gloat, he deserved it after all. Light managed to tie his hands perfectly. It was truly a masterful move.

"What are you doing out here L?" Light asked when he came up next to him. It was the first time he'd called L by that name in such a long time.

"Oh…I'm not doing anything in particular." L said distractedly "I just came out here to hear the bells."

"The bells?"

"Yes, they've been unusually loud today."

Surprisingly Light wasn't looking at him like he was crazy. Instead, he looked as if he were in pain. It wasn't what he expected at all from his Kira suspect.

"I'm sorry L, but I can't hear them." Light truly did sound sorry.

"Really? They've been ringing all day; I find it very distracting." L said softly "I wonder if it's a church. Maybe a wedding, or a…"

L couldn't finish that thought. If he did, he might just go as crazy as everyone believes he is. He stood there in the storm frozen to his spot. He knew without any doubt that when he reentered the building, he would die. He knew it as sure as he knew Kira was standing beside him watching his every move.

"Come on," Light said calmly "Let's get you back inside and dried off before you catch ill."

"I'm sorry, nothing I say makes sense anymore." L said turning away instead "If I were you, I wouldn't believe any of it."

He waited for Light to mock him and he'd done countless times in the past. Instead he almost jumped out of his skin as a steady arm wrapped solidly around his shoulders. He looked up to see Light's grim face staring back at him. It was completely unexpected of everything he knew about Light.

"Come on," Light said tugging L forward "you'll really stop making sense if you stay out here much longer."

"Tell me Light" L asked as he allowed Light to lead them back inside "Has there ever been a moment since you were born where you actually told the truth?"

If he was going to die, he wanted to die knowing he was right. He deserved at least that much. He expected Light to try and back out or turn the volley around on him. He was ready for anything Light tried to say to get out of his own trap.

"Once or twice."

…Anything but that apparently.

"You're being unusually kind and honest tonight Light-kun."

"Tonight is special."

Light led him to a side room and pushed him to sit down on some stairs. L did it in numb acceptance. Light left him long enough to gather a couple of towels from a nearby closet and returned to cover his hair with one of them before roughly drying off his own hair. That was all the confirmation he needed.

Light was Kira…

He was going to die…

L could feel the grief welling up in him. He thought…he knew he wasn't going to survive but he honestly thought that maybe…maybe he would find a way out at the last second. Pull one more trick out of his sleeve but…

IT WASN'T FAIR!

L pulled the towel over his head in hope it would hide the tears from his killer. He couldn't bare the humiliation. He didn't deserve… Arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind in a tight grip. Light had settled on the step directly behind him without his notice and now he was imprisoned in Light's embrace. L struggled briefly but Light's hold was just too strong and he had none left. He was caught completely. L gasped horribly as his tears became a flood. He bit his lips until he tasted blood but it was too late. The gasps quickly became sobs that turned into screams as he cried out in the terrible truth.

He was going to…

All the while Light held him close, a dark presence on his back as ominous as the reaper standing in the control room. He wasn't ready! He didn't want to! He didn't want…

Please God…

Anyone…

"I'm sorry." Light whispered in his ear through the towel.

"I'm so sorry. If I could…I'd stop it."

L's whole body was trying to shake apart. If it weren't for Light's hold he would have shattered already.

"I can't…it's already too late."

Shut up Shut-upSHUTUP!

"I'm sorry."

It continued on forever until the tears stopped. Until he was already dead inside. Until he was nothing more than a hollowed out shell. All that time Light held him whispering 'sorry' over and over again.

"Why?" L finally croaked out through his torn throat.

"Because I had to." Light said "I know it makes no sense to you, but there are certain events that need to take place…things I cannot change no matter how much I want to."

"…My death is one of those events." L stated roughly.

"Yes."

Yes…acceptance was a funny thing. It felt like breathing underwater. L wondered what death would be like…

"What happens now?" L asked vaguely.

"Now" Light said standing up and pulling L to his feet. He was so drained and dizzy that he immediately fell against Light's form. Light held him steady until he could stand on his own. "We go back. You'll take your chair and I'll take mine. I'm sure you already have one or more theories to test."

"13 days." L whispered.

"Put it in play. It won't be too long a wait."

"Alright then."

L turned to head back but he only managed a few steps before he stopped again.

"Do you think it will hurt?"

"It might at first…but it won't last long."

L nodded and continued on "I wonder if it'll be lonely."

"I doubt it." Light said.

"You and I will be parting ways soon."

Light's hand at his back coaxed him into moving forward again. This would be the last time he walked this corridor. These would be the last windows he would ever see out of. This storm outside would be the last time he ever felt rain on his face. When was the last time he spoke to his successors?

They entered the control room silently. L instantly spotted Rem watching him viciously as he crossed the room.

'Ah…here is the murder weapon. Of course.'

It only made sense given how obsessed with Misa she was every time she appeared on one of the monitors. She must have been Misa's Shinigami then. L wondered briefly what Light's had been like. Not that it mattered…nothing mattered anymore for him.

It was time…

"It doesn't matter which country, find one and negotiate with them for approval. We will have them use the notebook we have as an execution." L said.

He ignored the shock and outrage from the rest of the team. It was the only escape he could find. If the 13-day rule was false, then Light and Misa were the first and second Kira. But he needed to test it before it was too late.

"Find someone to write in it that has longer than 13 days until their execution. If that person survives past that time, then they'll be absolved of their own execution."

"Watari, contact all the states which you think would agree to the test." L called into the microphone.

"Yes Sir." Was his prompt reply.

"You plan to do this right now?" Aizawa demanded.

"Yes, I need to verify the notebook's ability."

A sudden crashing sound came over Watari's speakers. This wasn't part of the plan was it? He was the one who was supposed to die! Not Watari!

"Watari what's wrong?" L cried out.

"Watari?"

Immediately all the computer monitors started flashing the same message.

All Data Deletion

Light was instantly behind him as L stared at the message. An inner clock already counting down the seconds.

"I instructed Watari to delete all the data he collected should anything unexpected happen to him…"

"Where's the Reaper?"

"The Shinigami is gone!"

Chaos echoed around the room.

5…

Not long now

4…

L caught lights eyes

3…

L pick up a sugar spoon

2…

One last taste

1…


	5. Chapter 5

Rewritten

Chapter 5

A/N: Here's where things start to change…

This is the first major reveal. Unfortunately, Light came off really OOC for me. I'm not happy with it but I've spent the entire week trying to get him back in the game but he wasn't having it.

,..,

Light caught L as he fell out of his chair. He gently laid L on the ground. L was gasping harshly for breath yet his eyes were calm…almost accepting. Light wanted to stay and watch to the end but he didn't have the time to waste. He jumped up and began to run franticly.

The rest of the taskforce were all staring in horror at the fallen detective. He didn't have a lot of time and he needed to get that Death Note as soon as possible. He understood the theory of what he was going to attempt but he had no idea if time was a factor.

"Matsuda! Come quickly!" Light shouted as rushed to the next room.

"Huh? Why? What's happening?" Matsuda's confusion was tangible.

"Now! There's no time!" Light demanded.

Matsuda followed like Light knew he would. It shouldn't be too far if he remembered correctly.

"Raito what's going on?" his father shouted after him but Light ignored it. "We need to get him to the hospital!"

"A hospital won't help him now."

Light scanned the ground swiftly and there it was, lying next to the wall under some wires. It was surrounded by Shinigami dust, the last remnants of Rem. He ran to it stuffing his hand into his pocket to pull out the object he'd hidden in there. If Misa was wrong about this, he would kill her in the most horrible way he could imagine.

"Matsuda" Light said persuasively to the detective "I need you to pick up the book and flip through the pages until you find L and Watari's real names. They should be on the last page written on."

"I don't know what their real names are" Matsuda said shakenly.

"I do, but I can't touch it. It has to be you."

Matsuda reached out a trembling hand to lift the book. Light crouched next to him reading the names over his shoulder. He flipped through it until there they were L Lawliet and Quillsh Wammy. Soichiro's name was one stroke away from being completely written down as well. He'd never realized how close he had been to losing his father that time.

"There." Light stopped him pointing to the two names.

"Here" Light gave the object to Matsuda "use this to erase the names."

"What?" Matsuda stared at the small grey eraser he was now holding. It looked just like a cheap one that someone could find at any market.

"Quickly!" Light snapped.

Matsuda started rubbing the eraser against the page and sure enough it was slowly removing the names. As Light watched Matsuda rub away with the Death Eraser the others came crowding around them. His father kept trying to distract him but he kept focus as the letters started to fade.

It didn't matter anymore. It was working. First Wammy's than L's faded until they were completely gone. Not even the impressions from Rem's pen were left behind. Even his father's incomplete name was now only a memory.

Light paused for a long second to see if he too would disappear. There were rules after all. But much to his relief he remained as solid as ever. The high of cheating the system was indescribable.

'I told you I could do it Ryuk.' Light thought.

His oldest, dearest friend had been against the idea from the beginning. Ryuk didn't think it would work, or it thought it would cause him to self-destruct. They were both very real possibilities but Light ran the numbers and believed.

"L." Light whispered.

Light jumped to his feet and pushed roughly past the team completely ignoring their shouts and demands. He rushed back to L's side just in time to brace him as he gasped and arched back. He pulled L tightly into his arms and listened to the detective breathe. Every inhale, every spasm was a miracle.

It worked! It really worked!

Only days to fully plan and pull off the greatest feat he'd ever done and it worked! The exaltation coursed through him as he held L close to him. L's hands now grasping tightly at his shirt.

He truly was a God!

"Raito-kun…what have you done?" his father asked in horror.

His father's tone shocked Light back into reality. It was that sort of thinking that led to all his problems in the first place. It was the very reason he needed L alive and by his side…to stop Light from himself.

Light sighed softly. There would be no denying who he was now. They now all knew that he knew far more than he ever told them. Light looked down at L and believed it would be worth anything they said or tried to do to him.

"Never mind that now. Someone please go check on Watari." Light said refusing to let L go.

"Raito!"

"You'll all know soon enough! Now go!"

Mogi left to do so much to Light's relief. His father and the rest of the taskforce were either glaring at him or looking at him with confusion. They didn't matter now; they would follow L's lead…all he needed to do was convince L. He looked down at L just in time to see his eyes slowly open. He stared at Light with an almost childlike wonder in them.

"I can't help but wonder if this is supposed to be considered heaven or hell." L said in the mused way of his.

Light choked out a laugh as he let a single tear slip past. Everyone around them were now exclaiming in shock and awe that L was still alive. Fortunately, they were all keeping some distance away. He didn't need crowding and L probably appreciated the space too.

"Neither I'm afraid. You're still alive." Light told him.

L blinked a couple of times taking it all in. His body was still twitching, but they seemed to be calming down.

"Interesting." L said before jerking up nearly breaking Light's hold "Watari!"

"He should be fine too. Mogi-san has gone to get him." Light pulled L fully into his arms and stood up to carry him over to the sofa "let's get you off the floor."

L struggled for all of half a second before he relaxed and allowed Light to carry him. The taskforce parted like the sea before them.

"Light? I don't…" Matsuda stuttered off still carrying the book and eraser.

"Congratulations Matsuda," Light told him as he settled L onto the couch just as Mogi came back helping an obviously weak Watari "you saved L and Watari. You're a hero."

Poor Matsuda looked so confused. Light wanted to pity him but he just couldn't forget that it was Matsuda that had ultimately killed him.

"What! But I just did what you told me too!"

Light smiled, L was looking more and more aware by the moment. He didn't appear to have suffered any brain damage the short time he was dead. Watari slowly fell back onto the sofa next to L as the detective slowly curled up into his usual sitting position. Light decided to stay crouched down next to him watching his every move carefully.

"I might have told you what to do, but you still did what I could not."

It was more than he wanted to say, however he'd already planned out what he would allow himself to reveal if he had to, and it looked like the interrogation was about to begin.

"Raito-kun! I want to know what is going on here!" Soichiro demanded harshly.

Matsuda, Mogi, Aizawa, his own father, they were all standing around him looking at him, waiting for answers. Their shock was slowly bleeding away leaving fear and anger to take over. If he didn't take control of the situation soon, it could be bad.

"Yes…I too would like to know why I'm not dead." L stated calmly.

Light weighed his options carefully. He could possibly lie well enough to get the taskforce off his back long enough to escape. The second part of his plan was done now after all. He really didn't need to stay with them to carry out the rest of it. In fact, it would probably be easier without them. Of course doing that would mean he would lose L's balancing influence.

"Light." L said and that was all it took to break his resolve.

Light rested his head against L's drawn up knees and let out a sigh. He stood up long enough to walk over and snag one of the rolling desk chairs and pull it over to sit in it in front of L. He looked at each member of the team in the face, memorizing them. After today none of them would ever look at him the same again and he wanted to remember their faces while they still thought of him as 'Light'.

"Might as well get comfortable. This is a long tale to tell." Light waited until they were all more or less settled.

"First of all…Matsuda-san, be very careful you don't lose that eraser. That's the only thing that can remove a name from a Death Note and as far as I'm aware, that's the only one in the human world."

Matsuda almost dropped it and the note on the floor. He quickly placed them both on a nearby table.

"How did you get it and how have we not known about it until now?" Soichiro asked. Never mind the fact that he only found out the existence of the Death Notes a few days ago.

"That depends," Light told him, he then turned to address L "Do you want to hear about the events that led up to now or do you want to know what happened now first?" Light asked.

"Raito-kun!" his father tried to command him but Light was only interested in L's answer.

"…I think I would like to hear the story in order please." L finally decided.

"Very well…It started when you died."

"Yes we've established I died and yet I'm not dead."

"Yeah, you died back then too but you stayed dead. At that time, I didn't understand what that meant."

"Are you trying to claim you're from the future?" Matsuda asked almost excitedly.

Light shrugged.

"That's insane!" Aizawa shouted.

"More or less insane than Shinigami with death books walking around." Light asked coldly.

"Please continue Light." L asked and glared at the taskforce.

Light gathered his thoughts as best he could. He'd forgotten almost everything that had happened and while coming back to his more or less human body jolted most of his memories, he still had holes in them.

"As was what happened here, Rem wrote Watari and your names in the notebook, killing you both and itself at the same time. Back then, it was all part of my master plan to rid myself of three major problems."

"Problems?" his father asked.

Light could see the gears turning in L's eyes. All the little tidbits of information falling into place.

"L, Watari, and Rem were all thorns in my side that I wanted to be rid of."

"Because you are Kira." L stated as the others all gasped in shock.

"Because I was Kira." Light corrected.

"Was?" L questioned.

"You wanted the lead-up first…remember."

"Right…sorry."

Light waited for everyone to calm down again. Mogi and Aizawa both had their guns drawn on him but it would make no difference. They couldn't hurt him; they didn't know how. His father…Soichiro lost all color in his face and Matsuda simply appeared lost. Watari was the one who finally ordered them to all calm down and take their seats. They sat but Mogi and Aizawa kept their pistols out.

"Please continue Light." Watari finally said.

"You were right all along L, I was Kira. You were dead and everyone was looking to me to lead the taskforce. The Kira followers had become a full religion where I was worshipped as a God. I had won…for about six years." Light shifted uncomfortably at the memory "Be proud of your successors L, they served you well."

"Ah that…that is good." L was clearly unhappy talking about them.

"So, L's successors stopped you Light-kun?" Matsuda asked.

"No actually you did Matsuda-san." Light told him looking fully away from L for the first time since all this had started.

"Me?!"

It was strange how little Matsuda believed in himself, yet he was the one to end him.

"You have a great shot." Light said dryly.

"Hm…so you died and came back to a preset time." L mused.

"Give or take about a thousand years."

"What!"

Light wanted to smile at having been able to shock L like that. The rare times he'd been able to do so were always sweet accomplishments.

"I died almost exactly one thousand years ago from my perspective."

"If it was so long ago, why come back at all? What changed?"

"Kira." Light said grimly "Kira is currently a trend that becomes a cult that grows into a religion and infects the whole world." Light paused for a second before continuing "One thousand years on the exact date of my death, the entire world committed mass suicide." The memory was still so fresh in his mind "Every man, woman, and child all on the same day and all in my name. Or more accurately, Kira's."

The horror of what he started echoed even in his realm. The humans had even launched nukes all over to catch any nonbelievers from escaping. No one could believe what they were witnessing. He wouldn't tell them that though. They didn't need to know.

"Afterwards, I was given a chance, an opportunity to change it. They decided that since I started it, then I needed to stop it. I get two chances; this is the first one."

"What's the other?" Soichiro asked.

"I'd really rather not discuss that one."

Even if they push, he wouldn't tell. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, he didn't deserve it.

"What is to stop me from killing you right here and now?" L asked conversationally.

"Well, you can try but it wouldn't work." Light replied matching his tone.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm no longer human."

The room dropped instantly into silence.

"What do you mean Raito-kun?" Soichiro asked softly. Light wanted to cringe away.

"Those who use the Death Note are cursed. They can enter neither heaven nor hell." Light told them slowly "Basically, those who take on the power of a Shinigami will eventually become one."

While the rest of the taskforce all pulled back L actually scooted closer to him getting right into his face. The manic glee he used to hate so much was back on L's face.

"You're a Shinigami?" L asked excitedly.

Light reached into his jacket and slowly pulled out his own Death Note. It was invisible to the others until he dropped it into L's lap. L immediately had it open and was thumbing through the pages. Light didn't care, there were no names currently listed in it.

"…Hm…no rules listed…fascinating."

Light smiled as he felt the connection form between a Shinigami and a human user. It had been so long since the last time he felt this bond. One of Sayu's descendants if he remembered correctly. L didn't know this yet but he was now stuck with Light for as long as he lived, unless he wanted to lose his memory that is.

"The rules were written down only in that one Death Not by a Shinigami named Ryuk. It deliberately dropped the Note in the human world simply because it was bored. It was only by chance that I saw it fall and picked it up. It could have been anyone."

"So, all of this death and destruction…all of this horror was…for…entertainment!" Soichiro shouted.

"Pretty much yes." Light replied. "The entire world was destroyed for a laugh."

"Moving on." L commanded.

"Right…I created a plan and with the aid of some beings who wish to be nameless, I set myself back to the moment I came back into contact with that particular notebook after the Higuchi incident." He may be simplifying things a bit but Light didn't think they needed to know all the gritty little details.

"Did you kill Higuchi?" L asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I needed Rem free of him and bound to me."

"How?"

"You can kill with scraps."

"huh…one question answered." L commented "The 13-day rule?"

"It's a false rule I had Ryuk add in before I came to turn myself in the first time."

"You really thought things through Light."

"I had to. I was going against you after all." Light complimented before continuing "So now that I had my memories back, I needed to set into motion my new plans. Once Misa was free to go I slipped her a letter detailing instructions on what to do once she was outside. That was the hardest part of the plan."

"Had trouble endangering your girlfriend Light?" Aizawa sneered.

"I had trouble trusting her not to screw up. Once she was free and had regained her memories I needed her to do a very specific task that only she could do. The problem was, I had already given her orders beforehand and the new instructions countered the old ones. Fortunately, Misa came through for me this time."

"What did you need Misa-Misa to do Raito-kun? Matsuda asked.

"I needed her to find someone named Kagami Taro and convince him to give her the Death Eraser. I honestly wasn't sure she would be able to do it, or if it would be in time. Rem wanted to kill you all days ago and it was taking everything I had to stall it until Misa succeeded." Light said "After that it was the simplest thing to push Rem over the edge."

"By having Misa kill more people." L stated.

This was going to be a hard sell.

"I needed Misa to be in real genuine danger. It wasn't enough for Rem to simply believe she was."

"Why?"

Light didn't want to tell him this. It was his one and only weakness, one that can be used.

"Because…the only way to kill a Shinigami is for one to use their Death Note to extend a human's life. By killing you and Watari it extended Misa's life and in return destroyed its own in return."

"That's why you couldn't erase the names yourself!" Matsuda exclaimed.

"Exactly." Light said "Now here we are. You're all caught up."

L was deep in thought. Light wasn't surprised; after all, he threw a lot of information at the detective. And he was also still recovering from being dead. The rest of the taskforce were pretty much acting just as he predicted. Even his own father was looking at him with fear in his eyes. He regretted that he couldn't let his father die this time believing his son was innocent. One glance at his timeline told Light that Soichiro would still die at the same time as before.

"…So what do you plan to do now Light?" L finally asked.

"It's simple really, I need to hunt down all remaining Death Notes in the human world and either destroy them or return them back to the Shinigami world and stop the Kira following."

"Oh…a piece of cake then."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still own nothing 'sigh'

A/N: I honestly thought I was going to abandon this for a while but those pesky muses wouldn't let me. Please let me know what you think of it so far!

L sat curled up on the sofa next to Watari in a daze. The new Death Note resting against his legs as he watched Light weave a whole new web to ensnare the taskforce with. Light was truly a master manipulator as he wove his threads around the others until they were believing everything he said. It was always like that, right from the beginning he was the only one who believed Light was Kira.

He couldn't believe he was still alive. He had died…he knew he had died. His entire body ached from it. His head, his heart, his lungs all throbbed with the truth of it. He knew it was all Light's doing. Light all but confessed when he had that horrifying emotional breakdown outside. Yet Light had saved him. Had fought to protect him from Rem. He orchestrated his death, then brought him back.

Why?

WHY?

"Why?"

The room went silent at L's sudden question. Startling even himself. He hadn't realized he'd been drifting off during the arguments between Light and the taskforce. They were all staring at him again. L curled further into himself clutching the book closer.

"What was that L?" Light asked, switching his attention immediately to him.

"Why did you bring me back to life? You claimed I was a thorn in your side and I won't stop hunting Kira, so why bring me back?"

It didn't make any sense. Why save an enemy?

Light studied L intensely. It was easy to see now just how inhuman the boy has become. The others were blind to it but to L it was as clear as day. Even as Kira Light was still human, but whatever he was now, Shinigami or not, he was definitely NOT human anymore.

"I saved you because I need you." Light answered.

"You need me." L stated darkly.

L glanced around him. The taskforce members were all staring at them. Aizawa still had his gun drawn, although it was no longer pointed at Light. Mogi's was. Matsuda seemed to be torn between horrified and ecstatic as he glanced between him and Light. Soichiro looked as if he were staring at a ghost. For all L knew he probably was. Watari didn't look good but he was still calm and in control, L supposed that was the best he could hope for his caretaker. Perhaps he should send the older man to the hospital to be checked over.

"I need a counterweight to keep me balanced. Of everyone currently on this planet you're the best person for that job." Light shifted minutely "I haven't been human in a thousand years…haven't been Light in a thousand years. I have the memories of Light from up to this point and until I died, but that was so very long ago. Added to that I am a Shinigami. My value of human life is non-existent."

As always, Light was incredibly good at answering without answering. L was about to call him on it when Light suddenly caught his eyes then glanced around them. It became clear that whatever it was, Light didn't want it to say it to the entire taskforce. L could agree with that. The taskforce lost faith in him and in turn he lost trust in them. They chose to cast him aside in favor of Light's manipulations.

"Raito-kun…" Soichiro started but choked off after Light's name.

"Can you see our timelines?" Matsuda asked.

"Yes" Light answered "but before you ask, I can't tell you how long you have left."

"Why not?" Matsuda sounded genuinely curious.

"It's against the rules."

"So Shinigami have rules." L mumbled.

"Yes, Shinigami have rules. You now know two." Light smirked "I'll give you a third for free. Shinigami do not lie. We can withhold the truth as what Rem did, or write down something like the 13-day rule, but we cannot tell a direct lie to someone. The rest of our rules you'll have to find out yourself."

Matsuda started asking Light question after question, some of which Light even answered. Aizawa and Mogi were both once more settled and occasionally throwing their own questions at the boy. Soichiro simply sat there lost in thought. Already the members of the taskforce were once again falling under Light's spell. They were calming down and accepting the situation far better than L thought they would. It was truly amazing watching Light influence the team, now that he was no longer fighting against it for his life he could almost sit back and enjoy the show.

Almost.

There was still the matter of Misa and another Shinigami out there killing, and who knows how many more out there. How many more times would he have to face a Death God. Would Light defend his girlfriend and try to protect her from the consequences of her action?

"Misa-Misa is the second Kira. She still needs to be stopped." L stated, baiting Light.

"I texted her to stop killing when I went out to collect you." Light told him "Next time she comes here I'll make her forget again. She'll do it if I tell her to. As long as she never comes into contact with a Death Note again she won't be a threat. I'll leave it up to you if you want to prosecute her."

"Is Misa-Misa also a Shinigami?" Matsuda asked.

"She's human."

"You're very cold towards your girlfriend Light-kun." L said.

"She's not my girlfriend." Light said coldly "She was a nuisance at first but I had to protect her or Rem would have killed me. Later she became a useful acolyte as Kira took over the world. But I never had any feelings for her."

"You used her." Soichiro stated harshly.

"She wanted to be used. She begged me over and over to use her any way I wished." Light said coldly. The darkness…the monster that Light became was showing through the mask before it faded back. "Regardless, she'll be here in the morning and I'll take her memory from her then."

"How?" L asked.

"It's simple really, she just has to relinquish her right to her Death Note." Light pointed to the book L still clutched in his lap. "Once a human touches a Death Note, it becomes theirs. When they release it, all memories attached are released as well."

L touched the book, caressing the leather cover "Is this mine?"

"Until you choose to give it up, it will be yours." Light stated "And I along with it."

It was logical. How Misa suddenly changed personalities while under interrogation. Why Light suddenly changed into someone L wanted to call a friend. They just forgot. It was so simple, so easy. They were able to hide their secrets by simply forgetting them.

"Light you say you belong to Ryuuzaki? Can you please explain?" Watari asked. It was the first time Watari spoke directly to Light since…well since they died.

"Shinigami and their Death Notes are connected." Light said reluctantly "Before you ask how you should know I don't fully understand how it works exactly myself as no Shinigami knows how the Notes are made, but we all feel the pull of our books. When a human uses a Death Note, they are using the Shinigami connected to it to kill."

"Interesting." L murmured tiredly. His earlier embarrassing breakdown combined with the strain of dying and coming back to life have exhausted him. The constant stress over the last few days he'd spent trying to find a way out of Light's trap hadn't helped either. Everyone else around them were equally tired. He was also worried about Watari.

"I'm afraid you're going to be stuck with me until you do decide to forget. Shinigami stay with their books…or the owners of them. I won't be going far from your side for as long as it's yours." Light said with a sad smile.

That smile intrigued him. What else was Kira hiding from them? What secrets had he learned over his lifetime that he now kept hidden? Did he even dare believe him? He wanted to. Even though he'd shown no proof that he was what he said he was, he still wanted to believe.

This must be the power of Kira…no the power of Light. No other Kira had so much control over him. But Light played the game far better than he imagined. Now that it appeared Light was no longer interested in killing him, he was quite looking forward to continuing their game.

Matsuda suddenly yawned starting a chain reaction that ran through the taskforce. It was late into the night and even L was feeling the pull of sleep. He didn't want to sleep, he feared the nightmares of this day would haunt him far more than Beyond Birthday ever could, but he doubted his body would cooperate with him for too much longer.

"It has been a very long day and it's well into night now. Nothing more is going to be resolved tonight and if Light-kun is telling the truth, he won't be going anywhere while I have this." L said.

"I have nowhere else I want to be." Light returned.

"So let's adjourn for the night and pick this up in the morning when Misa comes." L finished.

"So we're just letting Raito-kun go free?" Mogi almost shouted.

"You can always handcuff me to L again if it'll make you feel safer." Light said with a shrug.

After a quick debate, it was decided to not use the handcuffs again. Everyone started slowly gathering their things and leave the control room. Soichiro paused for a long time just staring at the blank monitors with his coat in hand. Light was watching his father closely and L could only speculate what was going through his head.

"Soichiro-san?" L inquired.

Soichiro just stood there for a moment longer then headed straight for the door. He paused at the entrance the others had already gone through and sighed.

"I just can't believe my son is a monster." Was all he said, then left.

L turned back to Light expecting to see some form of reaction but Light's face was completely blank. He turned to face L again and shrugged.

"It was expected."

"I should send Watari to the hospital." L whispered as they too gathered their things to head to the room they will once more be sharing.

"Do as you wish but his timeline is stable, he is in no immediate danger from today's events." Light told him.

"I thought you weren't going to reveal anything about our timelines." L said.

"Did I tell you how long he had left?" Light asked.

L didn't answer him as they settled into their room once again. Light immediately picked one of the cozy armchairs next to the bed. He was grateful he didn't have to worry about the older man if Light could be trusted. The surprising thing was that somehow L did trust him. He looked down at the book clenched firmly in his hands as he settled onto the mattress. He hadn't let it go once since Light dropped it in his lap. He didn't want to let it go…interesting.

"What will you do now?" L asked. Now that they were alone maybe the boy will give him something he wasn't willing to in front of the others. Light sat in their room in deep thought.

"I'm not entirely sure, there are too many variables to plan too far into the future. Removing Misa as Kira should be easy and if you don't prosecute her immediately I could probably use her to help disband some of the Kira following, otherwise use her as a scapegoat to disillusion some of the followers. Either way it's about the same result. Ryuk may or may not be a problem. I can never tell with that one. Beyond that…I just don't know." Light finally answered after sitting still for several moments.

"What about your family?" L asked.

"My family died a thousand years ago." Light said coldly "Just because I look human, don't mistake me for one."

For the first time since this new drama started he didn't look the least bit human…not at all.

For the first time since this new drama started L wasn't the least bit scared of him.


End file.
